TAIPEI — A delay in approving Taiwan's budget this year threatens T$78 billion (S$3.1 billion) in weapons procurement, maintenance and training, a senior defence ministry official said on Thursday (April 1).

Defence spending is set to increase by 22.9 per cent to T$949.5 billion in 2026, President Lai Ching-te's administration said in August. At 3.32 per cent of gross domestic product, the figure will cross the three per cent threshold for the first time since 2009, government figures showed.